Doctor Destroyer
Born to a Bavarian dollmaker and his wife in the bitter winter of 1917, Albert Zerstoiten was a precocious child. Able to walk before he was a year old, and to speak coherent sentences before he was two, he constantly amazed his parents with his intellect and strength. Although the family was poor, Rudi Zerstoiten often entertained his son with stories of his ancestors’ past glories, when the Zerstoitens were renowned nobles. Albert loved the tales of grandeur and power, and sat quietly in his father’s workshop and helped him make dolls just so Rudi would tell him more. As he grew up, the stories of his noble blood, together with his rising awareness of his intellectual superiority, combined to make him insufferably arrogant and proud. Nor was that his only social difficulty. Albert displayed a terrible temper, becoming furious whenever he was slighted, frustrated, or denied in any way. His parents soon learned it was best not to anger him, but other people simply kept their children away from him, fearing he’d hurt them. Albert didn’t care; he had no desire to spend his time in the company of inferiors. He grew up alone, immersed in his studies. So vast was Albert’s intelligence that he was enrolled in university at age 12. By the time he was 20, he had two Ph.D degrees. His learning and Aryan good looks attracted the attention of the Nazi government, which offered him a job working on a number of secret military projects. Albert readily agreed to the “offer,” knowing not only that he had no choice, but that he could improve his already extensive skills through such cutting-edge projects. Though he mouthed Nazi slogans when required to, he considered the Nazi philosophy foolish. He was well aware that no one race, German or otherwise, was superior to all the rest; only he and he alone stood above the teeming masses of humanity. Even the purest of Germans was as nothing compared to him. Albert worked on numerous war projects for the Nazis from 1938 until 1944, including several involving the new ''Übermenschen, ''who intrigued him and became a subject of lifelong fascination. But when it became apparent Germany was destined to lose the war, he defected, betraying his colleagues to the French Resistance. Reports that several scientists whom Albert intensely disliked were already dead when the Resistance attacked have never been confirmed. Albert cared for the French no more than he had for the Germans. When the opportunity arose, he betrayed the Resistance as well and took ship for South America. He already knew what destiny lay in store for him — rulership — and it was time to begin fulfilling it. But fate had other ideas. The British stopped the cargo ship he was on and captured him — the first, and last, time anyone ever took him against his will. He was escorted to America under careful guard. The Allies knew who he was, and though they despised him, they could not deny his towering intellect or his devilish creativity when it came to inventing weapons. American officials, eager to take advantage of his abilities in the Cold War they knew would inevitably follow World War II, overlooked his activities on behalf of Nazi Germany. The hideous experiments involving human subjects tortured to death in the name of Science, the advanced firebombs designed to devastate entire cities, the dabbling with germ warfare — all were conveniently forgotten. Instead of facing judgment at Nuremburg, Albert Zerstoiten found himself living in a comfortable split-level home in America and working on the next generation of atomic bombs. But the temporary derailment of his plans did nothing to change Zerstoiten’s mind about his ultimate destiny. His superiority, not only over common folk but even the other “advanced” scientists he worked with on a daily basis, was readily apparent to anyone with even the slightest wit. He stayed just long enough to learn what he needed to know about America’s technological and military secrets, and then departed, hiding himself in South America so he could work unmolested. Scientists who had annoyed or aggravated him turned up dead shortly after he left , but no one was ever able to definitely connect their deaths to him. For the next quarter of a century, Zerstoiten worked to build not only his scientific acumen, but a world-wide criminal network. He soon gained a reputation as a supplier of advanced weaponry to underworld gangs, terrorist organizations, and supervillains, but his empire was far greater than that. By 1960, his smuggling operations, dummy corporations, and other resources had made him a millionaire many times over. Across the globe, powerful underworld figures knew him only by the English translation of his name — Dr. Destroyer. By the mid-1970s, Zerstoiten felt prepared to begin his conquest of Earth in earnest, but he knew he had to prepare to contend with costumed superheroes as much as with the governments of the world. Designing himself a suit of powered armor, the most advanced ever invented up to that time, so he could face his foes on even footing, he embarked on his first scheme of conquest: a plan to take over California, and eventually the entire United States. With America out of the way, it would be child’s play to conquer Europe, Russia, and anyone else who dared resist him. On March 5, 1975, he launched his assault, backed by an army of agents equipped with super-tech vehicles and weapons of his own design. The superheroes of America, including the Fabulous Five, the Justice Squadron, the Sentinels, and many independent heroes, responded. After a fierce battle, they drove Destroyer from his initial gains and forced him to abandon the attempt, though it cost them dearly — both Kid Chameleon and the Ocelot fell by Destroyer’s hand. Between 1975 and 1992, Destroyer tried several times to conquer the world, often making impressive initial gains but always suffering eventual defeat at the hands of heroes — albeit by frighteningly narrow margins. (Though he also helped to defeat the Gadroon and stave off other threats to Earth during this time.) Most infamous of these attempts was the 1991 attack on America using the artificial island of Destruga, and the follow-up effort in 1992 that resulted in the almost total destruction of Detroit... and, to humanity’s great relief, Destroyer’s death. Or so Destroyer preferred for the world to believe. His analysis of his activities during the past two decades convinced him he needed more resources, better technology, and stronger forces if his plans were to succeed. The superheroes of Earth represented an X-factor he could never completely predict or compensate for, so the only solution was to greet them with overwhelming force. The attack on Detroit was nothing more than a feint, a way to fake his own death so he could go into seclusion to develop his most irresistible plan of conquest yet. For ten years Destroyer remained in hiding, so carefully concealed that not even a whisper of his continued existence reached the ears of the governments of the world. During that time he concentrated on scientific research, developing new weapons and systems even more advanced than his already cutting-edge technology. Incorporating breakthroughs in computing, robotics, microelectronics, bioengineering, and nanotechnology into his inventions, he built himself a new suit of armor — the most powerful the world has ever seen. More regal and impressive than ever, he now stands poised to fulfill his destiny and become ruler of the world... regardless of how many costumed fools choose to stand against him. Pawns of The Destroyer *Gigaton *Raksasha *Fourplay *Bronze Brigand *Destroyer Troopers *Heavy Weapon Destroyer Troopers *Black Talon Troopers *Eisenlegion Agents *Destroids *Wardroids